I do not own Pokemon, because Pokemon are our partners, not our property. I also don't own the franchise, though that I do want to own.
(NICKS'S ROOM, MORNING)
Nick woke to the sound of Pidgey and Spearow and the sunlight streaming into his eyes. He grunted and silently cursed whatever moron had left his curtains open, then cursed again when he remembered he'd left the curtains open.
Nick rolled over and yawned, then stretched as his mind caught up with the rest of him. There was something he was forgetting...
AMY! he thought. She wasn't on the bed with him and he was horrified that he might have kicked her off the bed in his sleep or rolled over her or maybe even both!
Just then Amy walked past his door and stared as Nick frantically tried to get out of bed, falling over as the blanket tangled around his legs. She shook her head at his antics and said a short 'Chiko' to get his attention.
Nick got up from where he'd fallen over and saw Amy standing there staring at him as he picked himself up.
"It'd be really cool if you didn't bring this up when we meet other Pokemon. Agreed?" His cheeks a bright pink as he asked.
Amy nodded and hurried off, eager for breakfast and the chance to gossip to Furret about what had just happened. After all, she'd already met Furret, so he didn't count.
Nick sighed and finished getting dressed in a pair of jeans, red shirt, black jacket and blue sneakers, then looked at the backpack he was taking for the journey. It looked different from when he'd fallen asleep, though he wouldn't put it past his mother to have repacked his stuff while he was sleeping.
Nick hefted the bag onto his back, then made his way down the hall. The smell of his mom's cooking was already wafting around the house, and his stomach growled as he made his way to the kitchen.
As Nick entered the kitchen he noted three things: nobody was in here so they were probably eating in front of the TV, his food was sitting on the kitchen table (untouched) and there was a large brown box sitting on the floor with a note that read 'Dear Nick' taped to it.
Nick hurriedly ate his food, coughing as some of it went down the wrong pipe, then opened the box so he could hurry to the Professor's Lab. In the box though he found five Pokeballs, another note with somebody's phone number, a thick, leather-wrapped textbook (an encyclopedia?) with a Pokeball symbol on the front, a pair of shoes and a letter. He started with the letter. Maybe it would give him some insight.
Dear Nick
I hope you understand your Pokemon journey should be started as soon as possible. As such I've enclosed all the necessary tools you'll need as a trainer in this package. The Pokeballs are for catching any wild pokemon you may encounter, though they'll be destroyed if the Pokemon in question breaks free. The phone number is mine, in case you'd like to report about how Chikorita is doing or if you have any questions. The book is an encyclopedia of all the Pokemon recorded in Johto (they're arranged in the same order as a Pokedex) and the shoes to inrease your running efficiency. Good luck on your Pokemon journey.
Yours Truly,
Professor Elm
P.S. I enclosed a basic recipe for Pokemon food for Chikorita and any other Pokemon you may catch on a page tucked into your encyclopedia.
Nick smiled as he read the letter again, wondering again at how unselfish a Pokemon Professor could be when the mood struck them.
(ELM POKEMON LAB)
"Sir, was it necessary to go to such lengths to keep Chikorita away?"
"I'm a Pokemon Professor. I was doing what I thought would hurry the boy and his new Pokemon along onto a journey they both clearly wanted. That said, yes it was necessary. That thing scares me. And Nick will benefit from getting Chikorita away fro- I mean, starting his journey as soon as he can."
The Aide shook his head at how a Professor who studied pokemon could have developed a wariness of one. Though, the weariness may have been reserved only for that particular Chikorita, it was still odd.
(NICK'S HOME)
Nick put the book in his bag, put on his new running shoes, put the phone number in his Pokegear and put the Pokeballs in his pants pocket.
Note To Self: Get one of those belts with holsters for shrunken down Pokeballs, he thought.
Nick hurried to the living room, where he noted as he entered that his mother, Furret and Amy were all sitting watching the weather report. He caught only a brief snippet of what the reporter was saying-something about rain- before he announced,"Mom, good morning. The Professor sent all my Trainer tools through the mail, so I can leave anytime I want."
His mother looked at him thoughtfully and said,"You don't waste time do you? Well at any rate I was wondering what that package was. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised the Professor saw that you'd want to get going as soon as possible."
"Yeah, I'm eager to get out there and become a famous Pokemon trainer."
"Yes, though at the moment me and the Professor are the only ones who know you're a Trainer."
Nick huffed and said,"Well, it's always good to start small and work your way up. I'll be known soon enough."
As Nick put his bag on his back and got ready to leave his mom said,"Nick wait, first we have to talk about something." She sounded uncertain about something.
Nick raised an eyebrow, already suspicious, and said,"Okay, though we've got to get going soon."
His mom bit her lip and said,"Nick I want you to know that there are things you know even less about than just Pokemon battles. Things that I may have neglected to tell you. Things that you can only do with the right..." here she struggled to find the right word. "Partner."
Nicks eyes widened as he said in a horrified tone,"Oh Mew, this is going exactly where I think it is, isn't it?"
His mother glared at him sternfully as he backed away, slowly. "Now Nick, this is something we need to talk about. I will not have you coming home one day telling me about some unfortunate-"
Nick abruptly cut her off by shouting,"Amy, run! She's giving us The Talk! It's horribly scarring, terribly traumatic and incredibly awkward!"
With that Nick and Amy bolted out of the house and Nick's mother was left staring at the door in shock.
Eventually she figured out what he'd been worried about and wondered aloud,"The Talk?"
(ROUTE 29)
Nick and Amy had run half way to Cherrygrove by the time they decided to slow down.
"We...will...never...speak...of...that...again," Nick said between panting breaths.
Amy nodded her head in agreement. She had no idea what her Trainer was panicking about, but it had to be bad if he'd run without listening to his mother.
As they walked Nick began to notice more and more the various Pokemon that seemed to be taking cover. The only reason he could think of was that they were probably afraid of having to face him in battle, since he was after all incredibly knowledgeable about Pokemon battles. The sky darkening could also have been the reason, but it was less likely.
Nick raised his head to look at the rain clouds and thought about the weather report he'd ignored earlier in the living room. Just as he remembered the 'rain' part the first drops started falling.
Nick looked down at Amy and cursed that he'd left her out of her Pokeball. She must have been cold in this weather, and now it was raining. He quickly led her under one of the trees that were dotted around the route.
Just as they prepared to sit the rain out they heard a sound that sounded like a lot of scuttling feet. They looked up, scared of what they may find and saw...thirteen Sentret. They were growling, probably because Nick and Amy had encroached on their territory. Nick briefly wondered if he could bribe them to leave him and Amy alone, then dismissed the idea when they moved into a crouching positions and he remembered he didn't have anything that would be valuable to wild Pokemon.
Nick silently cursed his mother and her habit of tempting fate, while Amy readied herself to defend her Trainer.
The Sentret jumped down as Nick grabbed Amy and darted away from the tree. The Sentret took off after them, no doubt trying to defend their territory. Nick could recognize the signs, though he had hoped to avoid those signs once he left New Bark Town. He threw a rock at them in the hopes of dissuading them from attacking, then regretted it when one was knocked out and the rest ran faster, forcing him to pick up the pace.
Amy was, at first, frozen in shock that instead of letting her fight, Nick had picked her up and run. Now though she began struggling. She couldn't just let him run from them! She needed to prove she was a powerful Pokemon, needed to prove that those Trainers had made a mistake in leaving her behind and, most importantly, she needed to prove to Nick that she was worth keeping.
Amy twisted out of Nick's arms and turned to face the approaching Sentret. She was scared, but she wouldn't let her Trainer, he who had given her the chance that nobody else had, get hurt! Her muscles tensed as she readied herself, determined to fight the approaching Sentret.
'Amy we've gotta-" Nick stopped as Amy turned to look at him, her expression changing from a fierce, determined glare to a soft, pleading look.
She wants to fight, Nick realized. No, she needs to. There's something about this fight that she needs. I'm not sure what, but I should at least trust my Pokemon. She deserves that much.
Nick nodded and, as the Sentret came upon them, he shouted,"Amy, do a Tackle!"
The Sentret had formed what appearred to be some sort of arrow-head-looking formation. Now, Amy threw her weight into the oncoming throng of Sentret, knocking three of them out as she hit them as hard as she could and broke said formation.
Nick yelled 'Amy, Tackle and return' and watched as the Sentret, who hadn't recovered from Amy's last Tackle, were once again hit, though this time from behind.
Nick's breathing was heavy. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through him and it felt... bizarre. He wasn't the one fighting, he wasn't even doing anything (except yell orders), but he could almost feel everything. How his Pokemon felt when she'd Tackled the Sentret. The strain of her muscles when she jumped back to avoid an attack. It was indescribable.
Dragging himself away from his musings, Nick said,"Amy, try a Growl attack."
Amy nodded and growled a loud 'Chiko!', scaring the Sentret. Their fear would make them to hesitate when they attacked, a huge advantage against the Sentret's numbers.
Suddenly, the Sentret stepped back, allowing one of them to come to the front. This one was different. It seemed more confident, stronger and, for some reason, sleaker. Though the latter could have been the rain.
This Sentret took on a fighting position while the rest moved to watch from the sidelines. Amy stared in surprise at the lone Sentret that had deigned to fight her alone. Nick wondered why the Sentret would allow a single one of them to challenge Amy by himself, especially when she'd already proven herself stronger than them.
Come on Nick, he thought to himself. Focus on the here and now. Worry about the why later.
"Alright, your funeral. Amy, Tackle it!"
Amy shot towards the lone Sentret, expecting an easy win. The Sentret however, dodged her Tackle at the last second so suddenly that she almost crashed into a tree, barely swerving out of the way in time.
Nick stared in surprise then said,"Amy, try another Tackle."
Amy, now more than a little irritated, attempted another Tackle. This time the Sentret curled into a ball and, when Amy Tackled it, rebounded against a tree and knocked against her. She cried out in shock as she was knocked to the floor, but stood back up within a few seconds. The Sentret uncurled itself and smiled a smug smile at her.
This is bad, thought Nick. If she doesn't get out of this rain soon, she could get really sick. And this Sentret and it's pals don't look like they're letting us go anywhere without a fight. This all bodes poorly.
Amy however was thinking along different lines. Her thoughts were more on how she was going to beat this Pokemon and how much she would enjoy it when she did. Every second of it.
Nick thought for a second, then yelled,"Amy, Growl at him."
Amy Growled, which seemed to be the only attack that hit this Sentret. It quaked in fear for a moment before its eyes hardened and it dashed towards Amy.
Nick shouted in shock. That thing was fast! Amy didn't have time to respond and was hit by the Sentret's Scratch attack. She jumped back in surprise as the Sentret shot a few feet away to a safer position.
Nick watched, a little worriedly, as Amy's expression quickly morphed from one of shocked surprise to one of anger and pain.
Nick thought frantically. How were they supposed to-
"Chiko, Chikorii!"
Nick looked at Amy, who appeared as desperate as he was. He needed to think of a strategy here. This Sentret wouldn't respond to brute force.
For not the first time, Nick regretted never actually using a Pokemon in a real battle. The best experience he had was playing battle simulators, not that they were any good when it came down to a real fight. Oh his mom had offered of course, but he hadn't thought he'd need it. He could almost hear the smug I-Told-You-So that would come when she heard about this.
Nick almost laughed at their situation. They hadn't run because Amy wanted to battle and now the Sentret would follow them and attack if he ran away with her. Now he was making a similar decision and staying out in the rain when he could duck under one of the trees, just because it wasn't fair to his Pokemon.
For now though, Nick told Amy to keep trying Tackle. He needed time to think of a plan and right now she was the only one who could buy the time he needed.
If only they could get one good shot in. Amy was much heavier than Sentret (dear Mew please let her never hear he had thought that. Women were so touchy about their weight!) so a strong enough Tackle would take it out. But there was no way the Sentret would willingly run...towards...her...
Of course! That would work. First though, he had to set it up.
Amy, who had been trying to Tackle Sentret this entire time, heard Nick yell through the rain,"Hey, so is that the way Sentret battle? I was expecting a little more mettle from you. Why though I'm not sure."
Amy froze, wondeing what was going on. The Sentret was frozen too, listening to Nick and ignoring her.
Nick continued. "I mean, I can see now why you all attacked at once. Your strongest guy doesn't even come close to Amy's level. Attacking all at once was the only way you stood a chance."
The Sentret was visibly bristling in anger now, though whether it was out of both anger for his group (herd, pack?) or anger that Nick was calling him weak Amy couldn't tell.
"Though it does beg the question, why would you challenge her all by yourself? Then the answer came: now that she was sufficiently weakened, you could step in and play victor."
Amy frantically shook her head as the Sentret turned its gaze on her.
"Now Amy don't be modest, you could whoop this guy in a few seconds if you were fresh."
She was shaking her head now, trying to get him to stop angering the Sentret.
"Then again," he thought, as if he was thinking out loud to himself. "Amy has fought stronger foes than you. Like Magikarp. Now that was a real fight!"
It was getting angrier now, almost visibly reddening in rage.
"Not answering. I don't blame you. It's probably taking all your energy to keep running from Amy. Not that you could do anything but run in a fair fight anyway."
Almost there, thought Nick.
"Don't feel insulted Sentret. I'm sure you're definitely the strongest. Then again, strongest in a pack of weaklings doesn't say much does it?"
Amy didn't even notice him start running. The Sentret rushed her with a Scratch attack, too enraged to consider the implications of such a foolish rush attack.
Nick waited until the Sentret was almost upon her, then shouted,"Amy, power through it and Tackle him with everything you've got!"
Amy responded as fast as she could and barely managed to do as Nick commanded. As the Sentret Scratched her, she took the attack head on and Tackled it as hard as she could. But she didn't stop there, she ran with the Tackle until she slammed it as hard as she could into one of the many large trees that dotted the route.
The Sentret struggled to its feet, then collapsed as the injury took it's toll on it's body. The other Sentret swarmed around the lone Sentret and carried it deeper into the forest, moving out of sight as they took the Normal-Type Pokemon somewhere it could recuperate.
Nick stood there through the Sentret's taking of their comrade. Truth be told he barely noticed it. Amy was standing in much the same way, the adrenaline pumping through her making her own injuries feel nonexistant. Both of them were shocked that they'd managed to win at all and part of the reason they stood so still now was because they were still trying to process it.
Once the Sentret left though, Nick ran to Amy and swept her up into a hug. Amy, surprised at suddenly being lifted so suddenly, lay there in surprisefor a few moments before she smiled and tried to imitate his hugging as best she could. She failed miserably, but it's the thought that counts right?
"We won."
Amy nodded in agreement. They'd survived the Sentrets attack and she couldn't deny the happiness her victory had brought her. After all, first she'd beaten a few Sentret then she'd managed to beat the one Sentret the others had expected to finish her off. And if she enjoyed Tackling that Sentret into the tree more than she reasonably should, simply because she was injuring it, who cared?
Of course, that was the moment thunder had to boom overhead and they remembered they were standing in a steady downpour with nothing keeping them dry.
Nick said wearily,"Well, at least the bag's got waterproof lining."
Amy looked at Nick as seriously as she could, given how much she wanted to laugh.
Then they both burst out laughing, in mingled relief and elation, and hurried on to Cherrygrove City, Amy cradled in Nick's arms.
(CHERRYGROVE CITY)
A few hours later, once they made it to Cherrygrove City, Nick made a Beedrill-line to the Pokemon Centre, easily identifiable by it's brilliant red roof and Pokeball logo on said roof. Or the sign that said 'Pokemon Centre' in big, bold letters. Really, either of these would be enough to tell you it was a Pokemon Centre, but maybe it payed to be prepared. Mew help them if someone blind came along.
Once they made it in, Nick took a moment to observe the spacious enterior, note the well kept waiting room, observe the lack of Trainers and drip on the floor for some unfortunate Trainer to slip on the mess.
I'm beginning to think I have to start avoiding large bodies of water, thought Nick as he made his way to the counter.
Once there Nick asked the nurse on duty,"Excuse me, do you have any rooms available for Trainers?"
The nurse looked up from her computer and, upon seeing him, went,"Oh my Mew! You're soaking wet."
Nick rolled his eyes and said,"Yeah, it's becoming a habit. About available rooms though-"
Nick was cut off when the nurse noticed Amy and exclaimed,"Oh my gosh, your Pokemon is injured!"
Nick sighed and said,"Yes, observant of you. Available rooms?"
Nurse Obvious seemed flabbergasted for a moment, then said,"Right of course. Room 8 is available. I'll just get your key."
She kept shooting glances at Amy when she thought he wasn't looking and eventually he asked,"Anything I can help you with?"
Nurse Keys-Are-Highly-Elusive seemed surprised for a second before she said," No, it's just while your here, would you like us to examine your Pokemon?"
Nick smiled and said,"Great idea Nurse..."
"Joy."
"Right, thanks Nurse Joy."
Nick handed Amy over to Nurse Joy and, while he waited, decided to to call his mom.
The phone rang for a good five minutes and reception was terrible, but eventually Nick heard his mom answer with a soft,'Hello?'
"Hey mom."
"Nick, how are you? No, better yet where are you? Please don't tell me you got caught in that storm."
Nick laughed nervously as he said,"Ah, well I got caught in the storm. But,' he bulldozed on before she could start," we're out of it now and we're safe and soaked in the Cherrygrove City Pokemon Centre. Amy's getting a checkup and I'm waiting for her so we can finally get a room."
"Good. So, nothing new to report?"
Nick gulped as he remembered the battle with the Sentret and said,"Yeah, about that. We got into a fight with a few Sentret. Then one Sentret. We won, so don't worry."
"How did you win?"
"By taunting the Sentret into making a mistake."
"Didn't I tell you that you'd need some practical battle experience?"
"Moving past the obvious I-Told-You-So, I've got something else to tell you."
A few seconds passed before his mother asked,"Which is?"
"During the fight, I started feeling...odd," he finished.
"Odd how?"
"As if I was taking damage alongside Amy. I was getting exhausted, and even now I've got no idea why. Any ideas?"
"So, it was like you were there in the battle with Amy?"
"Yeah, something like that, now that I think about it. How'd you know?"
"It's a feeling Pokemon trainers get when they battle. They say those feelings are the mark of a Trainer who sees his Pokemon not as tools, but as partners."
"Partners? Was that what you were trying to tell me about earlier?"
"Well, yes. Of course I only figured out what you thought I was talking about when you left."
"I feel like we were having different conversations," Nick muttered wearily. "Made worse since we were having those conversations with each other at the same time."
"Well, now you know. And since we've got that out of the way, you've got to get back to your Pokemon and I've gotta get back to trying to shave Furret."
Silence. Nick rubbed his right temple before he spoke again.
"I hesitate to ask why."
"Fur clothes, made from the clothes of your own Pokemon. It's the latest trend. I'm thinking a hat. What do you think?"
Nick visualized his mother wearing a hat that looked like Furret's fur and shuddered. "Scarf. Okay, well see you mom. Good luck with shaving Furret."
"Bye Nick. Now Furret I'll let you borrow a coat-"
As Nick hung up with that disturbing image in his head Nurse Joy called him from the counter. Nick walked over and saw Amy chewing on what looked like bits of Pokemon food.
"Your Pokemon is fighting fit. She had a few nasty scratches, but some ointment took care of those in a jiffy. You should both go take a warm bath and go to bed if you don't want to get sick."
Nick, wondering who still used the word 'jiffy' anymore, said,"Sure Nurse Joy. In fact, we'll go right now. I just need a key."
The nurse blushed and handed the key over.
"Thank you," Nick said, though most of it was to be polite.
Nurse Joy nodded as she said,"Good. It's important to watch out for the health of your Pokemon you know. It's your responsiblity as a Trainer."
Nick nodded and hurried to the baths before she tried to give him a lecture. He had no time for lectures, not at this hour. He needed a bath. Then coffee. A pot of coffee.
(AFTER A HOT BATH AND A SINGLE CUP OF COFFEE)
Nick sighed happily as his head hit the pillow. It had been a long day and he was finally ready to get some rest. Amy was probably tired too, and considering how she'd fought she'd need the rest.
Nick of course soon found himself proven wrong. Amy, still excited from her earlier win, found herself unable to sleep and instead set about reading through the Pokemon Encyclopedia the Professor gave them. She turned the pages, each of them surprising her with the new and exotic Pokemon displayed.
Amy found her own image and information on the first page, then skimmed through the data on her evolved forms. She'd have time to figure that out after all.
However, as the night wore on, Amy found herself immersed in the knowledge of the various Pokemon within the region. Pokemon which she and Nick may encounter.
Speaking of Nick, she thought and turned her head to look at her Trainer. He was laying on his back, asleep and oblivious to the fact that she was reading his basic Pokemon Encyclopedia.
Amy soon found, however, that the book contained only basic knowledge about the Pokemon, leaving most details (moves they may learn, when and how they evolve, breeding habits, etc.) to be discovered by the Trainers. She huffed and set the book down. She could probably find out any extra information the way all Pokemon did: by travelling and learning. The encyclopedia would give them an edge though, so there was no need to be worried.
Amy hopped onto the bed and crawled under the blankets, curling up as she fell asleep, exhaustion finally taking it's toll. As she drifted off she felt herself being moved closer to something warm and snuggled closer to it gratefully.
We'll get an early start tomorrow, she thought. And then we'll finally be on our way.
(END CHAPTER 3)
AN: Let me know what you think about this chapter. Next chapter I want to give Nick a rival, since every growing Trainer needs one. Also tell me what you think of the fight scene, since I don't think I'm too good at them. What Pokemon should Nick catch? Also how do I read your reviews?
